Rivalry Trophy Series: Red River and the Frémont Cannon

Big League Clew is back with his a little something new. Instead of his traditional game of the week post, Clew has decided to break down the rivalry of the week in his own unique way: The best rivalry vs the worst. Read and enjoy!

As we get into the thick of the College Football season, some traditional rivalries have started to pick up. So I think this might be a good time to give you a little history behind some of the more interesting rivalries in football and put a little twist on it at the same time. So, without any further interruption, here is Clew’s Rivalry Week Breakdown, featuring the Red River Rivalry and the Battle for the Fremont Cannon.

Game 1: The Red River Rivalry

History: Oklahoma beat Texas 28-20 last season (Texas leads the all-time series 59-41-5)

Considered the top rivalry game in all of college football, this match up pits the Oklahoma Sooners against the University of Texas Longhorns (Hottie cheerleaders pictured above). The rivalry is named after the river that makes up the geographical boundary between Oklahoma and Texas. The game originated in 1900, before Oklahoma became a state and their campus was still in the Oklahoma Territory (Texas became a state in 1845, so this added to the rivarly). The game usually has some sort of conference or national implications, since one or both of the teams has been ranked in the top 25 coming into 61 out of the 66 games (since rankings began). This year gives us no exception as both Oklahoma and Texas are nationally ranked and are both undefeated. Texas coach Mack Brown, who is looking to bounce back from a very disappointing and rare losing season for the longhorns, says the game against Oklahoma is like a bowl game at mid-season and there’s really nothing like it.

My Prediction: Oklahoma ranks 5th in the nation in passing and 11th overall in points scored, while Texas is still rebuilding at 76th in passing and 36th in points. I look for Oklahoma to win this years Red River matchup.

Game 2: The Battle for the Frémont Cannon

History: UNLV lost 44-26 last season (Nevada leads the all time record 21-15)

Unless you went to UNLV/UNR, lived in Nevada, have DirectTV, or are just a big time college football junkie like I am, you probably knows a thing about this rivalry, which is why I am here to talk about it. The story goes that In 1967 Bill Ireland, a former coach and alumni of the University of Nevada, was hired by then Nevada Southern University (now UNLV) to coach their new football program and came up with the idea to have a trophy as a symbol of the rivalry between the two schools. This is where the cannon came into the picture. The cannon itself is a replica of a howitzer cannon that was allegedly left in a snowdrift in the Sierra Nevada mountains by John C. Frémont. It is the heaviest and most expensive trophy in college football. Although Ireland started the rivalry, the students continued it. The two schools are Nevada’s only public universities, and they share a mutual hatred of one another (people at UNR tend to look at UNLV as a glorified community college). How bad has this rivalry gotten? Numerous fights between fans have broken out in the stands at both stadiums, and on the field too. In one instance during the 1995 season, Rebels players allegedly started a pre-game brawl, which resulted in Nevada running up the score in their 55-32 victory against UNLV. After the game, former UNLV player Quincy Sanders threw his helmet in the direction of then Nevada head coach Chris Ault. Take it easy guys, it’s just a game!

My Prediction: Both schools will be competing for bragging rights, as each team limps into this game with 1-3 records. Nevada has a slight advantage since they rank 14th in the country in rushing, and UNLV just has looked god awful against the run. I look for Nevada to continue their dominance, as they have won six consecutive meetings against UNLV. They will make it seven.

About Big League Clu

Clu Haywood leads the league in most offensive categories, including nose hair. When he sneezes, he looks like a party favor. Also, he's been known to hit the ball "too high" and alleges to have illegitimately fathered Jake Tayor's non-existent children. You can also find him on Twitter @bigleagueclu